Chanel

Although Coco Chanel began her eponymous luxury goods house in the first decade of the 20th century, it wasn’t until 1987 that the brand formally began dipping its toe into the arena of fine watchmaking.

Under the ministrations of Gérard and Alain Wertheimer - grandsons of Chanel’s original co-founder, Jacques Wertheimer - the brand was among the earliest players in luxury fashion to invest heavily in high-end watchmaking; with the Wertheimer brothers’ most astute acquisition (thus far) being a 20-percent ownership stake in Kenissi - the state-of-the-art Swiss manufacture owned, in majority, by Tudor.

A powerhouse of fashion with surprisingly deep ties to the Swiss watch industry, Chanel has been selling its own-branded timepieces since the late 1980s. Beginning with the distinctive, octagonally-shaped Première, the brand has invested substantially in designing and manufacturing mechanical watches infused with its DNA.

The most popular example is the J12 - a collection of monochrome ceramic sports watches that Chanel initially launched in 1999. The design’s broad, unisex appeal eventually led to the creation of several more men’s lines, notably including the Monsieur de Chanel: a complicated wristwatch that marries the brand’s chic aesthetic with a retrograde “jumping hour” movement - developed by none other than Romain Jerome.

Adding to a list of already fascinating investments, Chanel has also been a 20-percent stakeholder in F.P. Journe since 2018.

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